Civil Air Patrol IL Wing News Blog

Cadet Mangano Receives AE Cadet of the Year Award

By Capt. James Kalemis
Commander
McHenry County Composite Squadron

Cadet Col. Maria Mangano receives the CAP Aerospace Education Cadet of the Year Award at the Air & Space Conference in Washington, DC.  The Award was presented to Cadet Mangano by Michael W. Wynne, Secretary of the Air Force, Gen. T. Michael Moseley, USAF Chief of Staff, and Robert E. Largent, Chairman of the Board Air Force Association.

Cadet Mangano has been a cadet at the McHenry County Composite Squadron for four years.  Her two most recent accompilshments include receiving the ILWG Cadet Commander of the Year Award and earning the Gen Carl A. Spaatz Award.  Among Cadet Mangano’s aerospace related accomplishments are:
• Cadet Commander of Aircraft Manufacturing and Maintenance Academy
• Cadet Commander of Advanced Technologies Academy
• Instructor of classes at the Illinois Wing Conference 2006
• Basic Cadet School and NCO  Academy Project Officer
• Graduate of Cadet Officer School
• Rocketry Program demonstrations and hands-on laboratories at the Woodstock, Wauconda, Richmond and McHenry Public Libraries
• Squadron Cadet AE Officer

Cadet Mangano, with Capt. James Kalemis, showing the Award plague she received with the Coin given to her from Michael W. Wynne, Secretary of the Air Force.  Cadet Mangano is currently attending Iowa State University and pursuing a MD/PhD.

Group 22 Has a Weekend of Orientation Flights

By Capt James Kalemis
Commander
McHenry County Composite Squadron

Capt Brian Pokuta, Commander of the Lake County Composite Squadron, served as the Orientation Flight pilot for cadets on Saturday and Sunday.  Five cadets from the Lake County Composite Squadron had their Orientation Rides on Saturday.  The cadets included  Christopher Hartogh, Christian Sutter, Spencer Allen, Robert Hartogh, and Michael Tuite.  Two of the five cadets, Hartogh and Tuite, were on their first Orientation Ride.

But the fun was not over!  On Sunday, Capt Pokuta graciously offered his time as an Orientation Flight pilot for the McHenry County Composite Squadron.  Eight cadets had their Orientation Rides on a beautiful sunny Sunday.  The cadets included Johnathan Pozniak, Clayton Ganziano, Billy Penuel, Luis Castillo, Alex Wagner, Ethan Peterman, Zack Hixon and Mike Kryscha.  Five of the eight cadets were on their first Orientation Ride.  Ground school and supervision duties were performed by Lt Bob Kryscha, Aerospace Education Officer, and Capt James Kalemis, Commander, both from McHenry County Composite Squadron.

My sincerest gratitude to Capt Pokuta for his exemplary service to Group 22.  The Cadet Orientation Flight Program is designed to introduce our youth to general aviation through hands-on orientation flights in single engine aircraft and gliders.  Squadron commanders should try to arrange orientation flights for new CAP cadets as soon as possible after the cadet joins CAP.  Illinois Wing has a number of Orientation Flight pilots and aicraft eager to serve you.

Illinois Wing Flight Instructors Complete National Check Pilot Standardization Course

By Capt Mordechai Levin
G1000 Check Pilot

Capts. Carolyn O’Meara, Steve Meyers, Timothy O’Meara, and Bill Peters graduate from the National Check Pilot Standardization Course (NCPSC) conducted by Standardization and Evaluation Officer/Chief Check pilot Capt Jim Olivi and Check Pilot Capt Mordechai Levin

In an effort to increase aircraft operations safety, the directives governing Civil Air Patrol’s Flight Management (CAPR60-1) were updated on 23 July 2007. These changes included the standardization of Sterile Cockpit Procedures. The sterile cockpit concept recognizes that flight operations other than routine cruise flight are intrinsically more hazardous and require the undivided and vigilant attention of all crewmembers. The Pilot in Command (PIC) is responsible to ensure that non-essential conversations, activities, and otherwise distracting actions do not occur during critical portions of flight. Critical portions of flight are taxi, takeoff, climb, descent, landing, and operations in high-density traffic areas or heavy ATC periods.

During the NCPSC held at Clow International Airport, Capt Mordechai Levin introduced a new method for flight instructors and check pilots to train and evaluate the Sterile Cockpit Procedures. The check pilots in training placed two chairs side-by-side and role-played the crew and passenger briefings conducted prior to engine start.

Included in the “Sterile Cockpit” brief is a statement that safety of flight items are always appropriate to be brought to the immediate attention of the PIC. Safety concerns would be such items as potentially conflicting traffic, potential mechanical problems with the aircraft, i.e., electrical smoke or smoke of an unknown origin, leaking fuel, etc.

The new regulations require instructors to conduct training in this procedure as part of any initial or recurring flight training, and check pilots to ensure that all pilots, as part of their mission pilot and normal proficiency flight checks, complete a “Sterile Cockpit” briefing. This will be evaluated as part of “Cockpit Management” under “Ground Operations” on the CAPF 5 and as part of “Cockpit Resource Management” under “Safety Awareness” on the CAPF 91.

By Capt Mordechai Levin